Several states have enacted mandatory deposit legislation for beverage containers. Such laws necessitate the handling of large numbers of cans and other containers for determining the deposit due to customers and to invoice distributors for deposit returns to customers by retailers. In some states where such laws have not been passed, material cost and conservation considerations have prompted private efforts in the recycling of containers which also requires the handling of many containers. This handling can be time consuming and cumbersome to do by hand. Consequently, automated methods for handling containers have been developed. Such methods generally require that the containers be positioned in a uniform alignment for standardized scanning or counting.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,972,488 to Kimball, et al., a can arranging device has a number of rods placed over a conveyor belt to form lanes for orienting cans. In the event that cans which are fed to the apparatus do not fall into lanes, but rather straddle more than one lane, Kimball, et al. further provide for diamond shaped buttons placed on top of the lane dividing rods for displacing a can from a straddling position as the can strikes one of the buttons. In the event that a can becomes placed in a lane in an upright position rather than a horizontal position, Kimball, et al. provide a stationary deflector plate for turning cans to a horizontal position as they are transported underneath the plate by the conveyor belt.
Franklin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,481, describes a similar device for arranging a random supply of articles. The apparatus in Franklin includes a number of blades which are substantially parallel to each other and which vertically reciprocate. Articles are fed into a space over these blades and oriented between the blades in a uniform arrangement by the coordinated reciprocating motion of the blades.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,186,652 to Orth, et al., discloses a vibratory aligner. The device in Orth includes an angled, vibrating table with longitudinal ribs for creating lanes through which articles to be aligned are transported. The Orth device further includes lugs placed on top of the ribs for deflecting articles into alignment as they move down the table and hit the lugs.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,714,832 to Seed, et al. describes an article sorting and delivery machine. Cylindrical cartridges are placed in a hopper having alternately vertically reciprocating slats for feeding cartridges through the bottom of the hopper to a gravity chute having ridges which define lanes. Pegs are placed on the ridges to turn cartridges which are not aligned within the lanes as they strike the pegs. Additionally, the apparatus has triangular pieces near the end of the lanes on top of the ridges for carrying any non-aligned cartridges straddling a lane up from the top of the ridges onto an apron, while aligned cartridges in the lanes drop beneath the apron.
A container orienting apparatus is also disclosed in Gardiner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,354. The Gardiner apparatus feeds cans onto a moving conveyor with the longitudinal axes of the cans transverse to the direction of motion. One end of the can is blocked by a dead-plate while the other end contacts a rapidly moving rubber belt having a grooved surface for gripping cans.
Holstebro, U.S. Pat. No. 2,684,147 describes a can unscrambling machine. This apparatus shows the use of guide bars over a conveyor to form lanes for separating cans.
Although the patents discussed above show numerous automated container aligning devices, there is a further need for an aligning device which simply and efficiently orients containers in an end-to-end manner. There is an additional need for an aligning device having a means for correcting the orientation of nonaligned containers in a manner that substantially precludes jamming of the apparatus by the containers and minimizes the risk of damage to the containers as they are aligned and transported.